We are in a race, an AI race. And not just in construction: all industries are caught up in the rapid development of artificial intelligence, touching practically every aspect of society. From Google’s DeepMind to Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI – tech giants are forging ahead at shocking speed, recalling all the excitement and trepidation of last century’s space race.

“The stakes are so high that nobody is going to step back” – this is how Martha Tsigkari, head of Foster + Partners’ applied R&D team, assesses the bigger landscape of computer science and data. It is her view – and that of many other experts in this field to whom we spoke for our “AI Week” – that there is no stopping the relentless push to advance AI into every corner of our lives. Data gurus at the cutting edge believe it can be a powerful force for good – but crucially they know it also has the potential to be bad for us. Nevertheless the human drive to move into unchartered territory is too great to resist.

To narrow our gaze a little, what does it all mean for construction? This is the question we are zooming in on for the Building the Future Commission this week, with the help of experts such as Fosters’ Tsigkari. The commission’s remit covers a wide range of issues, with a big focus on the productivity problem that has bedeviled the industry, indeed the country, for at least two decades. And now it seems clear AI has the potential to completely disrupt the ways projects are delivered over the next 20 years, making current frustrations irrelevant in the very near future.